Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on Congress Friday to raise the nation’s debt ceiling by mid-July to keep the federal government from defaulting on its more than $36 trillion debt. In a

WASHINGTON – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged congressional leadership to raise the debt ceiling by mid-July, in a letter sent May 9 and viewed by USA TODAY. Otherwise, the federal government will hit the current debt ceiling sometime in August, Bessent wrote.

The so-called "X-date" marks when the government could run out of borrowing power and face an unprecedented default without action from Congress to address the debt limit.